


[AU] The War of Men and Elves

by SettingSun



Category: The Lord of the Rings - All Media Types, The Silmarillion and other histories of Middle-Earth - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: AU, Arnor, Blue Mountains | Ered Luin, Eriador, Gen, Gondor, Grey Havens, Lothlórien, Moria, Rivendell | Imladris, War of the Last Alliance, canonverse, middle-earth
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-25
Updated: 2016-04-25
Packaged: 2018-06-04 11:45:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,405
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6656560
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SettingSun/pseuds/SettingSun
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Many people have asked throughout the years, what if Elrond and Cirdan forced Isildur to destroy the One Ring immediately after Sauron's death? At first this would seem like a great decision, but the long-term consequences would in fact have been disastrous. In this canonverse AU, written in the style of The Silmarillion, we shall see what would have become of Middle-earth had the Ring been cast into the fires of Mount Doom just after the defeat of Sauron.</p>
            </blockquote>





	[AU] The War of Men and Elves

**OF THE WAR OF MEN AND ELVES AND THE THIRD AGE**

* * *

 

In the last years of the Second Age, after the downfall of Númenor and the changing of the world of which the Akallabêth tells much, there came a time when Elendil, leader of the Exiles of Númenor, and Gil-galad of the Noldor took counsel together, for they perceived that Sauron the Accursed would soon grow too great in power to be hindered by Men or Elves, and all of Middle-earth would be his domain. It was therefore decided that a Last Alliance of Men and Elves must be formed in order to oppose the growing power of Mordor. Marching east to Imladris and then south-east, they amassed a great host of Elves and Men the likes of which had not been seen since the War of Wrath in the Elder Days, as is told in the Quenta Silmarillion. Marching down the great river Anduin they were joined by Durin’s Folk out of Hadhodrond, the Elves of King Amdír of Lórinand, and the people of the Elvenking Oropher out of Greenwood the Great.

  
After a time the host came at last to the lands which would in days after be known as the Dagorlad, the battle-plain, where Oropher and Amdír fell along with many others among the Last Alliance and the hordes of Mordor. But the Last Alliance had the victory, for against the mighty spear of Gil-galad and the shining sword of Elendil, Aeglos and Narsil, none could withstand. The hosts marched forth southwards through the Morannon and across the fell valley of Udûn, past the cruel teeth of the Isenmouthe, until at last they came beneath the black shadow of Barad-Dûr. Long did they lay siege to the Dark Tower, and there Anárion Elendil’s son was slain by a hurled stone. After seven years of the siege, Sauron himself came forth, and on the slopes of Orodruin the Mountain of Fire he met with Elendil and Gil-galad in battle. No longer could he clothe himself in a form fair to look upon, as he had in his days amongst the Elves of Eregion or in the palace of Ar-Pharazôn the Golden, the last king of Númenor. For when the Undying Lands were removed forever from the physical world and the Island of Westernesse fell beneath the mighty waves at the will of Eru, his body was utterly destroyed. He then lost his ability to assume a fair form, and in the hour in which he marched upon the slopes of Orodruin he was a being of terrible power and darkness which none could withstand, save for Elendil the Tall and Gil-galad who stood with him. The fury of Aeglos and Narsil against the cruel weapons of Sauron were long remembered in the sight of those who witnessed their struggle. And after a time Gil-galad, High King of the Noldor, heir of Finwë, was slain by the heat of Sauron’s grip. Elendil stood alone as he strove against the ancient foe of the Edain, and with mighty blows Sauron was at last defeated, his body broken and his spirit dispersed into the winds above Arda, weakened beyond all hope that only long centuries of silence and plotting could mend. But the wounds of Elendil were too great for him to withstand, and succumbing to his wounds he died there upon the slopes of Orodruin, his sword Narsil breaking in two as he fell. With the downfall of Sauron came an end to the Second Age of the world, and the dawning of the Third.

  
In this hour of doom, Isildur son of Elendil took up the broken hilt of his father, and with what blade that remained he cut the One Ring from Sauron’s ashen finger, looking to keep it as an heirloom of his house, not knowing of its fell designs. For Sauron had made this One Ring to rule all the others that were made in the ancient days in the smithies of Eregion, and into this Ring he poured his very being, that his spirit may live on even after defeat. Of those who stood with Isildur in this hour, many knew of the true purpose of the Ring. Elrond Half-elven, herald of Gil-galad, and Círdan of the Havens, Gil-galad’s lieutenant, knew of Sauron’s designs in this matter, for they had lived in the days when he walked among them as Annatar, Lord of Gifts, and taught the Noldor the craft of Ring-making. There was one means of resolving the matter at hand of which Elrond and Círdan knew: the Ring must be brought into the heart of Orodruin and cast into the fires of its making.

  
Elrond and Círdan pleaded with the son of the king, urging him to ascend the mountain and enter into Sammath Naur, the Cracks of Doom, and put an end at last to Sauron’s spirit. But Isildur refused their counsel, saying unto them, ‘This I will have as weregild for my father's death, and my brother's. Was it not I that dealt the Enemy his death-blow?’ for to his eyes the Ring was exceedingly fair in its craftsmanship: a plain band of gold, unadorned by any jewel or carving, save for fiery letters that shone forth only in heat alike to that of Sauron’s own hand. Isildur then turned his back on the herald and lieutenant of Gil-galad, and the fate of Middle-earth would be much different were it not for a vision of foresight upon Círdan of the Havens in that moment.

  
Círdan in his mind knew what was to become of Middle-earth if the spirit of Sauron were not destroyed in that hour: forests poisoned, Men divided against each other for longer years than they had known, ruin and death in the North, and the awakening of dark horrors beneath the mountains. The knowledge of this fate he could not withstand, and seizing Isildur where he stood he led him forth against his will into the depths of Sammath Naur. Deep beneath the fiery mountain a madness had overtaken Isildur, for the power of the Ring was greatest near to the place of its birth. Before Círdan and Elrond could speak of the matter of the Ring Isildur broke free of Círdan’s grip, and he fought against him with fist and teeth in the Cracks of Doom as Elrond strove to break them apart. But in his madness Isildur quickly sought to murder the lieutenant, and drawing forth the broken hilt of Narsil he aimed at the heart of Círdan. And in the moment of fury, Círdan threw aside Isildur, and he toppled over the edge of the cracks. There he fell, the son of Elendil, into the fires of Orodruin, and with him went the hilt of Narsil and the One Ring.

  
Thus the spirit of Sauron was vanquished, and all of Mordor fell into ruin. The foundations of Barad-Dûr were crumbled and the Dark Tower fell, smiting Orcs and Elves and Men in its ruin. And in its downfall came an end to Elendur, the eldest son of Isildur, who marched forth to war alongside his father and had not gone forth to Orodruin. Beyond the valley of Udûn the Towers of the Teeth at the Black Gate toppled, and Orodruin belched forth red flame and black ash into the dark skies. Those servants of Sauron who still dwelt in that land fled deep beneath the hills or into far off lands, never to trouble the Westlands again. Many who stood in the shadow of the mountain fell before the fires, and many more in days after would die from the ashes that poisoned the airs in the camps of the Last Alliance in that hour. As the mountain belched its fires forth Círdan and Elrond had fled from the Cracks of Doom, and mounting their steeds they outran with great speed the running fires of Orodruin. And the camps of the Last Alliance were there to greet them.

  
Great was the anger of the Dúnedain and the Eldar in that hour, for they had thought amongst themselves that their losses were at an end, only to fall into further ruin with the downfall of Mordor. When Círdan and Elrond had returned to the camps of the Last Alliance many asked how this ruin came to be. Others asked, ‘Where now is our King, the son of Elendil? Has he perished in the fires of Orodruin?’. Knowing that the truth of the matter could not be hidden forever from Middle-earth, Círdan spoke, ‘Yea, it is as you say. Isildur is slain, and to my sorrow it was by my own hand. So too have the One Ring and the hilt of Narsil fallen into the Cracks of Doom. The spirit of Sauron dwelt deep within this land and in its towers, and all has met its ruin with his defeat.’

  
At these tidings many among the Dúnedain drew blades to smite Círdan and Elrond where they stood, and the servants of Gil-galad could not withstand the onslaught without striking down some of those who stood against them. As they fended off their blows they pleaded before the Dúnedain for peace, and it fell upon ears that would not heed their words. Those of the Noldor who had marched forth under Gil-galad’s banner fought also against the Men of Westernesse, seeking to defend Círdan and Elrond in the struggle that would in days after be known as the Dagor Lithui, the Battle of Ashes, for the ashes of Orodruin fell upon the Men and Elves throughout the conflict. Thus also came about the Breaking of the Last Alliance and the beginning of the War of Men and Elves. Those of the Sindar who cared little for the matters of the Men of Westernesse retreated from the battle before too many of their kin were slain, following Thranduil son of Oropher through the Vale of Minas Ithil and northwards to their home in the Greenwood. Some however remained at the Gorgoroth, fighting alongside their Noldorin allies against the Dúnedain. In this bitter conflict fell Amroth son of Amdír, and Elrond Half-elven of the House of Eärendil.

  
After long battle beneath the clouds of ash the Eldar saw that the Dúnedain had gained the mastery, for though the might of the Noldor was greatest of all beings that walked Middle-earth in those days, the Men of Westernesse had far outnumbered them from the start. Therefore in the last hour Círdan led those that remained of his people in a desperate flight through the Vale of Minas Ithil, knowing that those who dwelt therein knew not of the tragedy that befell the Dúnedain. From there he led his people north into the realm of Lórinand, passing around the Emyn Muil and the Brown Lands where the gardens of the Entwives lay in ruin, for he dared not attempt to cross the Anduin through Osgiliath or any other place so near to Gondor while the wrathful Dúnedain pursued them.

  
With the deaths of Amdír and Amroth his son, the golden wood was without a leader. Círdan therefore laid claim to the land of Lórinand, where those who survived the War of the Last Alliance and its bitter end could keep watch over the lands of Gondor where Anárion had ruled in brighter days. The Dúnedain had followed them into that land, but high upon the flets of the mallorn trees the Eldar could not be assailed without heavy loss, and the Dúnedain retreated south into Gondor. With the power of Narya, the Elven-ring of Fire, Círdan laid a barrier of protection over the golden wood of Lórinand. But with the fall of Sauron and the One Ring, the power of the Three Elven-rings would soon diminish until no power remained in them. Therefore Círdan began a great fortification of Lórinand, building high walls about its borders with the aid of the Dwarves of Hadhodrond, and in those days Círdan’s realm was renamed Lórost, the Golden Fortress.

  
In Lórost dwelt also Galadriel and Celeborn her husband, and Galadriel in those days bore Nenya, the Elven-ring of Water. With the fall of Elrond on the plains of Gorgoroth, the valley of Imladris laid leaderless near to the Dúnedain kingdom of Arnor. There also in the valley dwelt Valandil, the youngest son of Isildur, who was but a child in those days. Therefore with a part of the inhabitants of Lórost she and her husband ventured north to the pass of Caradhras, and with haste entered into the valley and laid upon it a barrier of protection for a time. Not wishing to put the son of Isildur to the sword, she urged the Dúnedain who dwelt in the valley to return to their homes, telling them nothing of the tragedy that befell the House of Elendil in days before. The child was taken therefore to Annúminas beside Lake Evendim, where he was crowned King of Arnor in his youth, leaving the hidden valley to the Eldar. Thus the Kingdoms of Westernesse, Arnor and Gondor, were ever under the watch of Círdan and Galadriel.

  
With the fall of Elrond came also the loss of Vilya, the Elven-ring of Air. Upon the retreat of the Eldar none among Círdan’s forces had reclaimed it, and thus it came into the possession of the Dúnedain. In their pursuit of Círdan, some had turned aside and rode through the gates of Minas Ithil, where the ashes of Orodruin had not touched. There dwelt Aratan and Ciryon, sons of Isildur, who had been tasked with keeping watch over the western vale while the Last Alliance marched forth to oppose Sauron. Vilya was given then to Aratan, the elder of the two sons, who claimed the Elven-ring as an heirloom of his house. Thus in a time of darkness Aratan was declared King of Gondor. Ciryon his brother was sent north to Annúminas, where he would rule as Steward of Arnor until Valandil the King had grown in body and wisdom.

  
Aratan returned to Osgiliath the capital of Gondor, where he declared to all the Men of the West that the Third Age of the world had begun. When the ashes of Orodruin had at last settled and the skies above Mordor were clear, he ordered that the Men of Gondor expand their territory eastward into Sauron’s realm of old. The plains of Gorgoroth indeed remained a choking, poisoned land in long years after, but to the south lay the farmlands of Nurn where in the days of Sauron’s rule many thralls had worked the fields to feed the armies of Mordor. Where the land of Nurn once stood within the Ephel Dúath to the west and south and the Ered Lithui to the north Aratan established the province of Andúnaglar, the Glory of the West where the harvests of Gondor would be bountiful, for the land was a place of sadness no more save for the memory of the evils that befell their people in the lands to the north.[1]

  
After Aratan had taken up the throne of Gondor, he set his sights first upon the haven of Edhellond within his realm. Fearing for treachery from the Elves that dwelt therein, he sent forth what able-bodied men he could muster to put to the sword every Elf within the havens. And from Dol Amroth, vessels of war were sent to blockade the havens lest any Elf flee across the waters. The slaughters and horrors that befell the folk at the Slaying of Edhellond would forever ring with sadness in the ears of the Eldar, for none on that day knew of the Dagor Lithui or the Breaking of the Last Alliance.

  
After a time it came to pass that Aratan King of Gondor grew restless with the Eldar of Lórost, thinking that the lands that lay between their realm and the lands about Osgiliath were not adequately fortified. Fearing for an unhindered assault upon his capital, he sent the Men of Gondor into the land of Calenardhon north of the White Mountains, and there they began a great fortification of the lands at the feet of the mountains, and many cities were founded on the green plains. Many mighty fortresses and towers were built in those days alike to Orthanc in the Ring of Isengard, which in those days was ever watchful over the lands to the north-east. Ever they fortified westward and westward, driving out the Drúedain and the native folk of Calenardhon until their tribes were but a whisper in the lore of Westernesse, until at last they came to the borders of Arnor where Valandil had grown into manhood. Thus an unbroken stretch of land from Annúminas in the north to Umbar in the south was formed, and the eyes of the Dúnedain saw far.

  
While Gondor laboured in the fortification of Calenardhon and Valandil grew into manhood, Galadriel began her own efforts to ensure the long life of the Eldar of Imladris would not be cut short. Upon the high hills about the valley many towers were built to watch over the Trollshaws and the Misty Mountains. Valandil knew full well where the valley stood, and no longer could those who dwelt within it rely upon secrecy. Indeed, when Valandil was full grown he knew of what befell his kin in Gorgoroth, and through the words of Ciryon his Steward the wrath of the Dúnedain against the Eldar was kindled in his heart, and he forgot the mercy of Galadriel. But while the power of Nenya stood over the valley with its high towers, none among the Dúnedain would dare to assail them.

  
Were it not for the many losses of the War of the Last Alliance and the Dagor Lithui afterward, Aratan would have begun an assault upon Lórost the moment his reign began. But fate would not have it so, and therefore Aratan put forth all his spare efforts into amassing a second Great Armament to put an end to the Elven kingdoms that remained in Middle-earth. Such efforts were made also in Arnor, and after a time the legions of Annúminas had the strength to march upon the Ered Luin where Círdan and Gil-galad had ruled before the coming of the Exiles. With the Havens emptied and leaderless, the Dúnedain felled the White Towers and claimed the Master-stone with little hindrance, and they set fire to the Grey Havens and the ships therein. It is said that the flames of the Havens shone in the West like the setting of the sun throughout that day, and no grey ship ever again took the Straight Road into the Undying Lands through those harbours.

  
Though the legions of Arnor and Gondor were after many long years in the making ready at last to assail the havens of the Elves, it would be to no avail against the protection of Narya and Nenya while the strength of the Three lasted. Learning of this coming doom, Aratan in the last years of his reign chose to act with haste. After seeking the lore of the Eldar to gain the mastery over Vilya, he and the Great Armament of Gondor marched forth against Lórost, and coming near to the golden wood and its high walls of stone they besieged the land. Calling upon the strength of Vilya, a mighty whirlwind out of the high peaks of the Misty Mountains came upon the woods of Lórost at Aratan’s command. And the barrier of Narya was broken in that hour, but with it came the death of Aratan, King of Gondor, whose mortal flesh could not withstand the power of Vilya.

  
With the passing of the King, the Great Armament of Gondor began the assault upon Lórost, and the Eldar were without hope. Recalling their failure to win the forest in days before, they had come now with grapples and hooks and ladders, and siege engines to topple the walls of the Dwarves and set the mallorn trees ablaze. With the last of the strength of Narya Círdan sent forth the fires of the burning mallorn trees into the legions of the Dúnedain, and many were slain, and ere the power of the Ring of Fire was ended Círdan called for the Eldar to retreat. Westward they fled into the Dimrill Dale while the golden wood burned behind them, and Celeborn was slain in a last defense. And in days ever after the mighty blackened trunks of the mallorn trees stood in the sky like jagged fangs. In desperation, Círdan pleaded with the Dwarves of Hadhodrond before the East Gate to be granted refuge for a time. The lord of Khazad-dûm granted them the refuge they sought, though none knew how long it would be needed with the Men of Gondor laying claim to the burnt wood, who had no quarrel with Durin’s Folk and made no attempts against the East Gate of Hadhodrond. Nonetheless, the East Gate was closed in those days, and none would pass through it from either end for many a year.

  
After the unmaking of the One Ring, the power of the Dwarven-rings began to fade just as the Elven-rings had. No longer could Durin’s Folk yield forth great riches; therefore the Lord of Khazad-dûm said before Círdan, ‘These halls shall be a shelter and a home for you and your kin until the Day of Doom if that is your need. But as long as you shall dwell in the mansions of Durin's Folk, so too must you provide for Durin’s Folk.’ With this, he asked that the Elves would work the mines in the deeps of the mountains in exchange for their assured safety. The Elves were not fond of the notion of living beneath the earth, and more still would not wish to be sent into the deeps to mine at its ores. Círdan however saw no other choice before them, for word had reached his ears in days before that to the west beyond the Hollin Gate the Men of Gondor had torn down the ruins of Eregion and erected many fortresses and cities. Therefore Círdan agreed to the offer, and the Elves were sent into the deepest mines alongside the Dwarf miners to win back the riches the Dwarves could not find for themselves alone.

  
Now when word had reached Galadriel of the fall of Lórost and the Ered Luin and the hiding of the Eldar beneath the mountains, she knew in her heart that the time of the Eldar upon Middle-earth had reached a bitter end. And though the power of Vilya and Narya had utterly diminished while Nenya’s protection yet stood over Imladris, it would not hold forever, and without its protection Imladris would not outlast a siege from the Men of the West. She then began in secret to lead her people out of the hidden valley, following the Misty Mountains at their western feet through the Ettenmoors and the ruined lands of Angmar. And after long months of travel and toil they came at last to the Cape of Forochel in the far north of the world, where the colds were everlasting.

  
There in the north of the world dwelt the Lossoth, a much forgotten people that remained of the Forodwaith of the ancient days. Upon coming into their lands Galadriel asked for the aid of the Lossoth in one final task of the Eldar: to build for themselves ships to sail from the bay and into the Uttermost West where the Dúnedain would not pursue them. To this the chieftains agreed, but at their request the Eldar made for themselves vessels no larger than was needed for their task. Galadriel abided by their wishes, and when all was made ready the Eldar set their sails and braved the perilous waters of Forochel. By the grace of the Valar they passed out of the frigid bay without hindrance or loss, and sailing by the Straight Road it came to pass that Nenya alone of the Three Rings of the Elves entered into the Undying Lands, and thus came an end to the time of Galadriel in Middle-earth.

  
Círdan and the Eldar of Khazad-dûm knew not of Galadriel’s departure from Middle-earth, and deep beneath the earth they toiled and found for their Dwarven neighbours veins of mithril and iron. And it was spoken amongst the Dwarves that Imladris had become a bastion of the Dúnedain, knowing not that it was empty upon their arrival, thinking to themselves that Galadriel had been slain in the valley. At these tidings Círdan’s spirit was at last utterly broken, and no longer did he desire to leave the deeps of the earth while the Men of Westernesse stood ready at either side of the Misty Mountains.

  
But delving too deeply into the earth at the request of the Dwarves, they came across a great horror of the ancient days deep within the earth. For deep within the heart of the mountains there lay a Balrog, a demon of fire and the greatest of Morgoth’s servants save for Sauron, and in its awakening the doom of Hadhodrond was sealed. Círdan alone had strength enough to hinder the demon, but his long years of sorrow and toil had drained him of much of his strength, and in the mines of the Dwarves he was slain by the demon of fire, and thus came about an ending of the Eldar of the Elder Days in Middle-earth. And in days after it was called in whispers and cries ‘Círdan’s Bane’.

  
After the awakening of the Balrog, those who dwelt in Hadhodrond fled where they could, and the mansions of the Dwarves were emptied. The Dwarves who fled made haste into their lesser mansions in other hills, never again to return to Khazad-dûm. Many among the Eldar who fled out of the mountains were taken by the Dúnedain who were there awaiting their eventual flight, and were made thralls of Gondor, and the Dominion of Men upon Middle-earth had come. But those who escaped the long arm of the Dúnedain on the eastern side of the mountains made for the forest of Greenwood and the realm of Thranduil, and thus did a small part of the Eldar remain in Middle-earth, hidden from the eyes of Men, and an end was come for the Eldar of story and of song.

**Author's Note:**

> [1] "Nurn" is Sindarin Elvish for “sad”.


End file.
